1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to toothbrushes, and more particularly to a toothbrush having a handle adapted to transport toothpaste to the brush head and a bellows toothpaste container at the handle end which is squeezed accordion style to force the toothpaste through a hole in the handle shaft to the bristle outlet and through the bristles.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Various forms of fountain toothbrushes heretofore have been provided, but most have been difficult to operate insofar as refilling the toothbrush with toothpaste is concerned. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,780,066 to Christian which discloses a toothbrush with a bristle receiving head which has a passage provided therein at one end which opens below the bristles. The opposite end of the passage terminates in a conical portion. The capsule which is intended to receive the brush cleaning preparation is corrugated to facilitate the discharge of paste. The conical portion is fitted into the conical recess and the portion is fitted into the end portion of the tubular member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,367 to Pickering discloses a cartridge-loaded pressure feed toothbrush containing a removable toothpaste cartridge within the handle within the handle which has a flexible accordion sidewall of suitable flexible material. The rear end of the cartridge is closed by a rear end wall. The forward end of the cartridge is closed by a rigid forward end wall of substantial thickness, which is formed with a tapered axial internally threaded socket. The rear end of the socket is closed by a relatively thin end wall which, when penetrated by the brush head nipple, breaks and provides an opening which affords communication between the interior of the cartridge and the brush head bore. The penetration is produced by screwing the brush head plug into the forward end of the handle until the shoulder engages the forward end of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,349 to Del Bon discloses a fountain brush having a bristle carrier and a set of bristles, a handle attached to the other end of the bristle carrier and a reservoir channel extending through the bristle from the reservoir into the bristle-bearing end of the carrier: the channel has at least one radial sidewall of the carrier. A slide valve member is guided sealingly in the interior of the channel. A closure member is adapted for hermetically closing the reservoir. A connecting rod extends substantially axially through the interior of the reservoir and connects the actuating device and the slide valve member to one another. An elastically deformable bellows is connected, hermetically sealingly, with the closing member, and with the inner wall of the handle, in actuated, as well as in unactuated position of the actuating device. The slide valve member obturates the orifice when in said unactuated position and, upon actuation by pressure on the closing member, is moved into the blind end of the channel past the orifice, clearing the latter.
Toothbrushes of this type have the disadvantage of demanding expensive working methods if only due to the manufacture of the bellows. Moreover the valves are very prone to blockage.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved fountain brush of the initially described type, which can be manufactured extremely simply by mass production methods, while at the same time the filling process can be carried out substantially more easily than for the fountain toothbrush of the prior art. The fountain brush according to the invention may be used as a throw-away brush.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a fountain brush which applies metered amounts of toothpaste to the bristles.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a fountain brush which only requires a small amount of pressure on an external bellows to dispense a required amount of toothpaste. These and further objects, which will emerge from the text of the description that follows as depicted in the accompanying drawings.